Friday, July 16, 2010

Here are our grades for the individual players dfirst half performances of the Yankees.

Starting PitchersCC Sabathia: A. After a rough start, Sabathia finished the first half winning his last eight starts and has returned to the CC we can count and rely on.

Andy Pettitte: A+: Is there anything more you could ask for? The guy is at the end of his career and proved to be the most consistent pitcher on the staff and his ERA is 2.70, top five in the AL.

Phil Hughes: A-: Hughes had a great start to the season winning 10 of his first 11 decisions, but hit a rocky road at the end of the first half.

A.J. Burnett: D: Probably the most disappointing starter the first half. He went winless the month of June and was atrocious during the absence of Dave Eiland.

Javier Vazquez: C+: After a rough start to the season and questions about overcoming his last New York stint, Vazquez turned it around and has had the lowest ERA on the staff since mid-May.

InfieldMark Teixeira: C: Teixeira's bat was disappointing much of the first half, but he has began to heat up and turn things around and his defense has remained flawless.

Robinson Cano: A+: The first-half MVP of the Yankees. He led the majors most of the first half in batting average, though it has dropped to .336. He has taken over the fifth spot nicely, coming up with big hits and hitting with RISP. His defense has also been superb.

Derek Jeter: B: After a terrific start, Jeter has struggled through the month of June and early July. His defense has been shaky as well, not making plays he used to.

Alex Rodriguez: B+: Just when it seemed his power numbers were down, he came out the last two-three weeks of season crushing the ball and returning to his old self.

Jorge Posada: C+: Posada spent some time on the DL and has been banged up most of the first half. However he's been productive wihle in the lineup, but age and injuries is catching up to him.

Francisco Cervelli: B: Numbers with RISP are ridiculous, cooled off after long playing time exposed him as just a backup. Still brings lots of energy, especially defensively.

OutfieldBrett Gardner: A: Who would have thought Gardner would be hitting over .300 and had a handful of home runs by the All Star Break? Not to mention his tremendous defense.

Nick Swisher: A-: Swisher has finally putting up power numbers while hitting for average which garnered him his first All Star appearance. His defense has looked to improve too.

Curtis Granderson: C: His numbers against lefties have not improved much and has been average so far. Spent time on DL, but has had some big moments.

Marcus Thames: C: Thames filled in nicely for Granderson against lefties until he got hurt. His defense is awful, but has only two walk-off hits this year for Yanks.

RelieversMariano Rivera: A: Still the best at 40. Couple of bumps here and there, but can't be perfect all the time.

Joba Chamberlain: D: Dominant at times, but an ERA above 5.00 is not what you want from your setup man.

David Robertson: C: Inconsistent season so far.But 3.09 ERA since May 7 shows some promise and improvement.

Damaso Marte: C+: Has held lefties to a .146 batting average, but 4.06 ERA is not good. However, it's a bit inflated since he's usually in for 1/3 of an inning.

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